While it was a nice, simple theme throughout the puzzle today, it did make for some not-so-simple and at times grating, solving.
When the emphasis is to include the theme at all costs, one of those costs is fluidity.
Everyone knows Sesame Street.

14 Is there a surface meaning?
17 'with final' = h. As Kermit loses its top(head) it is not a face-lift. As DA well knows the face is but the front part of the head not the entire head.
25 2 At Cape Canaveral one does a count down not a count.